Armos
An Armos is a recurring enemy in The Legend of Zelda series. Appearance frame|left Armos are either humanoid warriors, stone statues or metallic automatons, depending on the game. thumb|left|The Lanayru Province Armos. The brand of Armos found in Lanayru Province are more like automatons but had perhaps the most complex, having two faces with each having their own attack pattern and method of destruction. The happy-looking face side moves with short, calm hops whereas the angry-looking face takes larger, more aggressive leaps towards trespassers. Even the method of being destroyed is complex in this model: To open the mouth that guards the self-destruct crystals, one must use a set of gust bellows to spin the device on its head. Once the mouth ones the Armos temporarily shuts down. Unlike later models, two crystals must be shattered to destroy the statue, but shattering one crystal will reactivate the statue. The "happy" crystal is the easiest to destroy, and can be slashed at from any angle while the "angry" crystal instead must be stabbed at. The most common brand of Armos are found in the Wind Tribe's Fortress of Winds and the Wind Ruins; the Sea of Trees, Vaati's Palace, and Death Mountain region of Hyrule; throughout the kingdom of Labrynna; within Holodrum's Unicorn Cave; they also appeared this way on Koholint Island, though these cannot be considered due to the very nature of the island itself. These are robotic sentries that are activated by a switch inside the body intended for Minish use only, presumably for maintenance. This model reveals that they are kept active through a flame being ignited inside the body. While it is not known how Minish enter other models, they enter this model by climbing a ladder attached to their shield. This model will simply move around, but can either move swiftly or slowly, keeping the trespassers off-guard. There are slight variations on the model here, with those found in the Sea of Trees and Vaati's Palace being faster and able to make sharp turns, for instance, albeit at the cost of being able to turn their body -- instead this type can only move its head. Another model can be found in several dungeons in the kingdom of Hyrule was given a more monstrous appearance, but was not as articulated as earlier and even some later models, although they appear to have actually been constructed for the Gorons and not the Hylians, given that they have the Goron's Emblem on them when inactive. Like many other models, they activate when approached but unlike previous models, these had their crystal exposed but on their back side which they would try and face away from foes. They self destruct upon being damaged, attempting to chase after the trespasser to catch them in the blast, but could be destroyed while inactive with a well-placed bomb, perhaps indicating some level of shielding upon activation. This disposable attribute of the model would explain their more primitive design in comparison to known older models that were built before the founding of Hyrule, as their disposable nature meant that the cheaper they were made the easier they would be to mass produce. This model was also either imported to Termina, built by the Minish in this alternate reality, or depending on the theory, were simply projections of a dying Link's mind. Background history According to information from the Force Era, the Armos were constructed by the Minish as robotic statues that activate upon touch and served as security mechanisms for their clients. As no other origins have been stated, it can be assumed that the Minish were involved in building all Armos across the planet. These security statues started being built before the founding of the kingdom of Hyrule, with several ancient totem-like Armos found within the ruins of the Lanayru Mining Facility and the Pirate Stronghold, although they have become inactive by the Sky Era, requiring utilization of a Timeshift Stone to access. The Minish next built their first cyclopean Armos - the most popular model - for the Wind Tribe before they moved their kingdom back into the sky. They were found to protect both the Wind Ruins and the Fortress of Winds to serve both as blockades and guards. This incarnation of Link was able to shrink down to the Minish size and was able to activate or deactivate these statues, showing that they were built with maintenance in mind by lighting or snuffing out a fire inside the head. They were again seen in the kingdom of Hyrule some years later. Although faster than those found in the Wind Tribe (indicating that they were possibly built after those fashioned for the Wind Tribe), there was little other difference. This variety was also found all over the kingdom of Labrynna; inside the Ancient Ruins, Explorer's Crypt, Sword & Shield Maze, Tarm Ruins, and Unicorn's Cave in the kingdom of Holodrum; and a special type that moved randomly and did not actively seek trespassers was seen in the Death Mountain region of Hyrule. The next time a Link would encounter Armos was during the Era of the Hero of Time, where he encountered a model fashioned for the Goron race inside of Dodongo's Cavern, the Spirit Temple and the Gerudo Training Ground (an indication that either the Gorons were once allies of the Gerudo or the Gerudo stole the items for use in their own temple; it's unlikely the Minish repurposed them given the Goron Emblem chiseled into each statue), Ganon's Castle (either brought there by Gerudo allies or perhaps already inside the formerly Hyrulean palace). Another model of this make were also found in Hyrule many years later, perhaps built with the Hylians in mind. This type however is weaker than the base model, not possessing a crystal and instead being susceptible to regular sword strikes, though it was built to withstand several hits before collapsing. At this point the timeline was split into three alternate timelines. The Decline of Hyrule & The Last Hero In this timeline, the Hero of Time failed to defeat Ganon. An Armos design similar to those found earlier in Hyrule were met by two different Links, one being a direct descendant of the other, during the Era of Light and Dark. These were taller than those seen before of this make however, but were far less durable than their earlier counterparts, being susceptible to just a simple sword. Interestingly, although the first of these two Links only found the statues set up outside of Eastern Palace in a canyon in Eastern Hyrule, some years later several have apparently been relocated to both inside the Eastern Palace, as well as to adorn the inside of Hyrule Castle. This second Link would later travel to both the kingdoms of Holodrum and Labrynna, where he encountered the common Armos statues, though they were far more common in the former than in the latter. While trying to return he shipwrecked on Koholint Island and encountered Armos here as well, though this area was a figment of the Wind Fish's dream. They were witnessed one final time in this timeline, during the Era of Decline. These were perhaps malfunctioning, as they did not actively seek trespassers that awoke them. While again weak to any attack, their stone structuring made them difficult to contend with, requiring many sword strikes to destroy. This Link found one Armos to be hiding the power bracelet as well. By this point in Hyrule's history, their origins seem to have been forgotten, with legends stating that they were believed to have once been Hylian soldiers that had been turned to stone. The Dark World & The Hero's Descendants The Hero of Wind & A New World Category:Legend of Zelda Universe Category:Creatures Category:Fictional Creatures Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Robots Category:No Diet Category:Sentient Beings Category:Non-sapient Beings Category:Very High Category:DD Category:Characters Debuting in 1986